Past the Last Island by Kathleen Flanagan Rollins

While the societies may be incredibly fascinating, the characters are at times less so. But this is a book with heart, full of vividly written, almost tangible places, rich imagery, and a grand sense of wonder and discovery...
-IndieReader

Synopsis

The South Pacific Islands, 14,000 years ago After terrible floods destroy their villages, some islanders turn to the strongest leader for answers, but others see the floods as a sign calling them to make a change. Escaping by night, they leave the world they knew behind and take to the open sea in a quest to find what lies beyond the edge of the world. Their journey into a realm still ruled by spirits changes all of them. Some give their life to the quest. Others find it along the way. The navigators, the lovers, the warriors, the inventors, the woman condemned as a witch, the puppeteer, the visionary, the day keeper - seventeen in all - must figure out how to make a new life in a new world.

Kathleen Flanagan Rollins taught composition and literature at Mott College in Flint, Michigan and developed a decades-long fascination with early explorers in the Western Hemisphere. Travels in Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Americas, especially ancient sites in Mexico, Guatemala, and South America, provided the inspiration for the Misfits and Heroes series of novels.

IndieReader

Reviewed by Various
on
Jul 01 2013

While the societies may be incredibly fascinating, the characters are at times less so. But this is a book with heart, full of vividly written, almost tangible places, rich imagery, and a grand sense of wonder and discovery...